


The Sum of Our Choices: Demigod Shorts

by TheTimeTraveler24



Series: The Sum of Our Choices [7]
Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alex Fierro Gets Her/His Hands on a Paint Gun, Book: The Demigod Diaries (Percy Jackson), Book: The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson), Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, Implied Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, M/M, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are Cute, Nico di Angelo is Bad at Feelings, Nico di Angelo is a Cute Dork, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Fluff, Percy and Annabeth and Nico Have Flashbacks, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Thalia Grace & Percy Jackson Friendship, The Golden Mango Prank, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Will Solace is a Ball of Sunshine, Will Solace is a Dork, like they definitely have some degree of PTSD, that can only end in disaster of course
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTimeTraveler24/pseuds/TheTimeTraveler24
Summary: Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better.The Sum of Our Choices series version of some of the shorts from Demigod Files and Demigod Diaries. Features: The Sword of Hades, The Staff of Hermes, and The Quest for Buford. Also featuring new and original shorts: Will Solace and the Golden Mango and Alex Fierro and the Party Ponies.More shorts may be added eventually, but those are all that I have planned.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson) & Magnus Chase & Alex Fierro & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Connor Stoll & Travis Stoll, Hades/Persephone (Percy Jackson), Lee Fletcher & Will Solace, Magnus Chase & Alex Fierro, Magnus Chase/Alex Fierro, Nico di Angelo & Drew Tanaka, Nico di Angelo & Hades, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Thalia Grace & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Silena Beauregard & Drew Tanaka, Will Solace & Michael Yew
Series: The Sum of Our Choices [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781341
Comments: 46
Kudos: 84





	1. Will Solace and the Golden Mango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place between The Titan's Curse and The Battle of the Labyrinth.
> 
> Will Solace was looking forward to many things that went along with changing the future. Saving lives for one. But the one thing he didn't like was having to put up with the Stoll Brother's pranks. The worst one had to be the Golden Mango. That had caused a whole slew of injuries around the campers, mostly Aphrodite kids.  
> This time is different though. For one, he has his best friend Nico by his side. For two, well, he has his best friend Nico by his side. Fortunate for Will, unfortunate for Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is original! Hooray!
> 
> I really liked writing this. Hope you enjoy!

PROBABLY THE WORST NORMAL DAY THE INFIRMARY EVER SAW, was the day the Stoll brothers decided to pull their Golden Mango prank.

Will would have liked to have known the thought process that the Stoll brothers had gone through when they were preparing for this prank. After all, the prank was based on the Golden Apple of Discord—the apple that Paris was ordered to give to the fairest goddess. And everyone knew how well _that_ turned out. Perhaps there wasn’t a thought process at all? Or maybe the Stoll brothers were secretly the bad guys behind everything and this was their attempt to start World War III.

That last one was unlikely, but Will found the notion quite funny.

Still, he was ready. Will knew about the prank and roughly when it would occur. Which is to say, he knew that it was going to happen at the end of January. And he knew that there would be a lot of injuries to take care of.

If he couldn’t stop it, at least Magnus was at Camp to help out.

“Hey,” Nico said, entering the infirmary.

Will glanced up with a smile. “Hey. You’re not hurt, are you?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Do I need to be hurt to come here? I thought you said you wanted to see a friendly face.”

“Nico di Angelo willingly going to the infirmary?” Will gasped in mock shock. “Truly the world has ended.”

Nico crossed his arms. “First of all, I don’t like coming here when _someone_ is forcing me to stay. Second, I…” he trailed off, looking embarrassed and shy and sad.

“What?” Will asked worriedly.

“I’m bored,” Nico announced. “And I need something to take my mind off things.”

Will frowned. “Things?”

Nico glanced at Lee who was chatting quietly with Magnus in the otherwise empty infirmary. “You haven’t been overworking yourself, have you?”

“What makes you ask that?”

“Have you looked at a calendar recently?”

Will blinked. “No?”

“It’s January,” Nico said.

Will still didn’t understand what Nico was getting at.

“January 28th,” Nico prompted.

“Oh.” Will gave Nico a sheepish look. “I knew that. I was just testing you. Make sure you’re taking care of your… memories.”

“Uh huh,” Nico said, looking amused.

“Happy birthday,” Will said quickly. “Twelve years old. Or is it eighty?”

Nico scowled. “Shut up, Solace.”

“Going back to my original question,” Will said. “Why are you willingly going to the infirmary _on your birthday_ , Nico?”

“I told you. I’m bored and I… I didn’t want to be alone,” Nico muttered. “Alex is, well, being Alex and I don’t want to lose my head. Percy and Annabeth are back at school, and I’m here. I would have gone to hang out with Cecil until your shift was done, but the Hermes cabin is locked right now. I think they’re planning someth—”

“Oh no,” Will said, heart dropping.

Nico tilted his head. “Oh no, what?”

“When you said you want a distraction, what were you thinking of?”

“Uh, probably not whatever you’re thinking. I was just going to hang out here while you did… whatever it is you do when no one needs an arm sewed back on.”

Will gave his friend the sweetest smile he could muster. “So, would you be interested in helping out today?”

Nico gave him a quizzical look. “I’m afraid to ask.”

Will sighed. “Come with me. I have archery practice with Aphrodite next.”

“Um, no? You’re terrible at archery.”

“I am not!” Will said, insulted.

Nico shrugged. “Okay, compared to _me,_ you’re good, but like borderline good.”

“Thanks,” Will said sarcastically.

“I thought you skip archery.”

“I skip sword fighting,” Will corrected. “But I usually go to archery. Sometimes with my siblings, sometimes with other cabins. I’m with Aphrodite cabin today. Speaking of cabins, why are you barred from Hermes?”

Nico shrugged. “Dunno. Probably because I wasn’t there when they started planning this. I don’t think it’s everyone. I saw some walking around on my way here.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s just the Stolls,” Will muttered. “I’m heading out for archery!” he called to Lee.

“Remember what I told you about stance,” Lee called back. “You’ll do great. Good luck!”

* * *

Nico wouldn’t stop pestering him about what was going on the whole way to the archery range. Will almost caved when Silena spotted them. She smiled and waved.

“Hey, Will,” she said. “Hi, Nico.”

Nico glanced at her. “Hi, Silena.”

“I know Will is joining us, but are you having archery too?” Silena asked Nico.

“Apparently,” Nico scowled.

“He’s so excited,” Will said, elbowing Nico. “You can practically hear the joy oozing from his voice.”

“Because this was _not_ the way I saw today going,” Nico protested. “First, I actually had to _intentionally_ go into the infirmary, and now I have to go to archery. On my birthday, Will. On. My. Birthday.”

Silena hid a smile behind her hand. “It’s your birthday? Happy Birthday, Nico. How old?”

“Twelve,” Nico answered.

“Eighty-two,” Will said at the same time.

“Gods, you’re annoying.”

“Just trying to live up to the name.”

“Well, you’re doing a good job of that.”

“Thank you. I try my best.”

“I know you do.”

Silena cleared her throat. “Um, if you two are done, you should get ready for the lesson. It starts in five minutes.” She looked at Will. “Michael will skin you alive if you’re late.”

“You know it’s less impressive when you say that to the son of Hades, right?” Nico asked her. “I can literally summon zombies and skeletons and disappear into shadows. What’s Michael going to do to me?”

“Oh, look at that, you got a big head,” Will muttered.

Nico gave him a dirty look. “Shut up, Solace.”

Silena coughed. “Just… get ready.” She walked off to stand with some of her siblings.

“She’s right,” Will admitted. “We should get ready.”

As a child of Apollo, a bow naturally felt right in his hands. Will could reach his hand into a pile of bows and pull out the perfect one for him to use. He could flawlessly nock arrow after arrow with surprising speed.

The only problem was actually _hitting_ the target.

Normally, Will could scatter his arrows around the outer edges of the target. That was when he was concentrating and focused. Today was not a day he was concentrating and focused. Today, he was very much so focused on what was happening at this very moment. He was very conscious of the very real possibility of a new Trojan War.

Needless to say, Will hit the target roughly twice during the whole practice.

“Are you okay?” Michael asked Will in concern. “Are you sick or something?”

“The Stolls are planning something and Will’s freaking out,” Nico informed Michael. He shot an arrow at his target. “Hah!”

Will looked over to see a lone skeleton pick up an arrow off the ground and stab it straight into the center of Nico’s target.

“Bullseye!” Nico grinned.

“You cheated,” Will pointed out.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I used my resources.”

“To cheat.”

Michael frowned at Nico. “I’d appreciate the skeleton leaving my archery range, di Angelo.”

Nico’s grin faded. “Right.” He pointed at the skeleton. “Dismissed.”

The bones clattered to the ground and melted into the dirt.

“Thank you,” Michael said.

Will gave Michael a look. Ever since December when Nico (and Bianca) were claimed by Hades, Michael had more or less decided that the children of Hades were bad news. He’d taken to staying near Will whenever he was with Nico which was kind of annoying.

“Nice job, Silena!” Michael called when Silena managed to hit her bullseye on her—Will counted the number of arrows—sixteenth try. “Drew, come on, just try to shoot!”

The daughter of Aphrodite gave Michael a disgusted look. “I just painted my nails, Yew.”

“Why do you bother coming to archery practice if you aren’t going to even try?”

“Drew,” Nico called. “Put it this way. Archery is long range fighting. You’re less likely to get your manicure ruined or your makeup smeared by doing long range archery than hand to hand combat.”

Drew examined her nails. She let out an overdramatic long suffering sigh. “I suppose you’re right, di Angelo.”

Will raised his eyebrows at Nico. _Since when does Drew listen to you?_

Nico stuck out his tongue.

Will was pretty sure Nico came to regret giving Drew incentive to become an archer.

* * *

Will dragged Nico with him to the Aphrodite cabin as soon as archery practice ended. Nico sputtered and protested the whole time, but Will ignored him. They almost made it to the cabin when they were stopped by Michael.

“Hey,” Michael called. “Will, Nico, wait up!”

Nico jerked his arm out of Will’s grasp. “Solace, what the Hades.”

Michael caught up and glanced between them. “Everything okay?”

“It’s Nico’s birthday,” Will blurted, mind racing to figure out any excuse to get away long enough to sneak into the Aphrodite cabin before any of them could. “So we’re going to celebrate. I was just going to find Cecil—”

“Oh, happy birthday,” Michael said to Nico, looking surprised. “You’re…”

“Twelve,” Nico said shortly. “And, Will, you still haven’t explained what it is that—”

“GIVE IT TO ME!” someone screeched.

Will cringed. “Gods dammit.”

“Language!” Michael and Nico repremained.

Will gave them all a severely dry look. “Dang nabbit.”

“IT’S FOR _ME,_ NOT YOU!”

“YOU? AS IF! GIVE IT HERE. _I’M_ THE HOTTEST!”

“I’m going to kill them,” Will muttered.

Silena and Drew stopped next to Will, Nico, and Michael.

“What’s going on?” Silena asked.

The Aphrodite cabin doors flung open and a golden sphere shaped object was flung in Will’s direction. He yelped and ducked out of the way. It bounced on the ground and rolled to a stop at Nico’s feet. He picked it up before Will could warn him.

“For the hottest,” Nico read. He frowned. “What in my father’s name is that supposed to mean?”

Silena snatched it out of Nico’s hands. “It’s for the hottest, like it says. Mom must have given it to us. You know, like how Paris gave her the golden apple? She’s given us a golden mango.”

Nico grabbed the golden mango back out of her hands. “Snap out of it!” he snapped. “Paris started the Trojan war by giving that apple to your mom.”

Drew’s eyes were now fixed on the mango. “Silena’s right, it’s for us. It has to be given to the hottest which is, of course, me.” She tried to make a grab for the mango, but Nico stepped back, out of reach.

“No one gets the golden mango until I say so, and I don’t say so!” Nico shouted. “Are you _trying_ to start a war? We already have enough going on as it is.”

“You’re right!” Silena gasped. “Nico, you can pick. I’ll gather everyone at the diving pavilion, then you can judge us and give the golden mango to whoever is the hottest.”

Drew nodded along to Silena’s idea like it was the greatest thing in the world.

Michael looked utterly flabbergasted. Will knew how he felt.

As for Nico, he suddenly looked very afraid.

“What?” he squeaked.

“Yes, you can pick the hottest demigod at Camp,” Drew agreed. “Of course, we’ll have to gather the whole camp to make it fair, but I know you’ll choose one of us Aphrodite kids. Probably me,” she added as an afterthought.

Nico shot Will a look like _Get me out of this now._

“Drew,” Will spoke up. “Maybe we could just… not do this?”

Silena frowned. “Will, this is important! My mom sent us this mango. Are you saying we should disobey a goddess’s wishes?”

“I’m actually pretty sure Travis and Connor Stoll sent you that mango,” Will muttered.

Silena nor Drew heard him. They were too busy waving their siblings over and telling them the plan to meet at the dining pavilion. There was a lot of squealing and blushing as the Aphrodite kids turned to wave and wink at Nico before hurrying towards the dining pavilion.

Nico looked at Will with wide eyes. “What. The. Hades. Solace.”

“Dude,” Michael said, looking for the first time like he didn’t care about who Nico’s dad was. His face was pale and he placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Do not mess this up. Good luck.” He fled across the campgrounds towards the Apollo cabin, either to hide until this mess was over or to gather up his siblings to watch the horror show unfold.

“Well, I won’t be offended if you don’t pick me,” Will joked weakly.

“I can’t pick _anyone,_ ” Nico hissed in a panic. “Anyone I picked would result in a brutal murder at the hands of the Aphrodite kids and then they’d probably just steal the mango from the poor dead guy and make me pick again!”

“Now you see what I was worried about?” Will asked. "Although, last time they just beat each other until they were too bruised to be considered hot at all."

Nico glared. “Worst birthday ever.”

* * *

Will prided himself on sticking by Nico’s side until they reached the dining pavilion. A very confused looking Chiron was standing at the front while the demigods waited eagerly for Nico to arrive. Silena and Drew stood next to the centaur.

“So what’s going on exactly?” Alex Fierro asked as Will and Nico walked by.

Will sighed. “You’ll see.”

Chiron stomped his hoof for quiet. He cleared his throat. “Ahem. As most of you are aware, the head counselor of Aphrodite cabin, Silena Beauregard, as well as Drew Tanaka called this… gathering. I am unsure of the reason, but they—”

“Aphrodite sent us a gift!” Drew announced, cutting Chiron off.

Silena beamed. “Nico! Come on up.”

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Will said, gently nudging Nico forward.

Nico glared back at him, but he stepped towards the two girls. Drew yanked him towards the front when it was clear Nico was taking a long time to get there.

“As I was saying, we received a gift from mom,” Drew said.

“The Golden Mango!” Silena said, gesturing to the gold fruit in Nico’s hands.

“It was found in our cabin and in the chaos, it was thrown out the door and rolled to Nico,” Drew continued. “Which means that this is a sign that Nico get’s to award this to one lucky demigod.” She didn’t say it, but Will could hear _me_ tacked on in Drew’s expression.

“It’s also his birthday, so it’s a double sign!” Silena added.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICO!” Alex screamed.

Nico looked over and gave Alex a gesture that Will was pretty sure Chiron would not approve of which was proven true when Chiron gave Nico a stern look.

“The Golden Mango was addressed For the Hottest,” Drew said. “So. Who’s the hottest here, Nico?”

Nico’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. He looked at Chiron. “Do I have to?”

Chiron looked worried. “I would like to advise against it. You know how well it worked out for Paris of course.”

“Of course he has to choose,” Silena said, looking scandalized. “And, look, added incentive—”

“Whoever you pick will go on a birthday date with you,” Drew chimed in.

Nico wrinkled his nose. “I’m _twelve_ years old.”

“JUST PICK SOMEONE!” Drew screeched. She pulled out a bow and rubber tipped arrow and shot it at Nico. “Boom. Love arrow. PICK SOMEONE!”

Will felt the temperature drop immediately. Nico was practically shaking with rage. Will was running forward before he even realized what he was doing.

“Nico, don’t!”

Too late, all around the pavilion, skeletons emerged from the ground.

“I will _not_ pick anyone,” Nico said dangerously. “Look at yourselves. Who cares who’s the ‘hottest’ demigod here? We have bigger problems than that right now, okay? So I will not be picking anyone because I do not want to start a stupid war over one of the Stoll brother’s pranks!”

Silena blinked. “Stoll… brothers?”

“Prank?” Drew asked.

Will looked over at the Hermes table where Travis and Connor had suddenly gone whiter than freshly fallen snow.

“Dudes, if I were you, I’d run,” Alex snorted.

That broke the tension. Travis and Connor leapt from their seats and charged out of the dining pavilion. Silena and Drew turned to their siblings.

“We’ll teach them to mess with us!” Drew shouted.

“APHRODITE CABIN!” Silena yelled.

The whole cabin cheered. Suddenly, it was like a moving wave of designer clothing as they got up and ran after the Stolls.

Nico let out a sigh of relief. He stretched out a hand and the skeletons surrounding the pavilion disappeared in columns of flames. He looked at Will. “My life flashed before my eyes, you know.”

“You think we’d let you die?” Will asked.

Nico rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Solace.” He tossed the golden mango in his hands a few times. “I should put this in the attic. Chiron, are there any boxes I can put this in?”

“There should be a few in the attic already,” the centaur answered. “If there’s a label on it, don’t open it. Pick one without a label.”

Nico nodded. “Got it.” He sent Will a smirk before stepping into Chiron’s shadow and disappearing.

“Nico, you little—”

Chiron cleared his throat.

“Sorry, Chiron.”

* * *

“So Travis is rocking the smokey eyes and Connor is threatening to flash us since his clothes are now ‘too restricting’ or something,” Nico observed.

“And you’re still alive,” Will said. “You okay? You freaked out when Drew shot you.”

Nico gave Will a look. “I don’t like love gods. I don’t like love arrows. Need I say more?”

“Yeah, I know. Just… you’re okay now?”

“I’m okay now,” Nico said. He offered Will a small smile. “Thanks. For asking.”

“Sorry about your birthday. I didn’t mean to get you caught up in this.”

Nico waved him off. “It’s fine. Besides, I got to see the Aphrodite cabin forcibly applying Permanent Makeup to Travis and cursing Connor to have clothes two sizes too small.” He winced. “Ah, that sounded less creepy in my head.”

Will laughed. “Still. We should have had a party. Not a ‘hotness’ contest.”

Nico jolted. “Oh. Uh, reminds me.” He took out a wooden box. “So… I didn’t actually put this in the attic.”

“Why not? Do you know how dangerous that would be if someone just found it? You live in the Hermes cabin! One of them is going to steal it from you eventually.”

“I wasn’t planning on keeping it,” Nico said, cheeks red. “Gods, Solace. Do you think I’m _that_ self-centered that I think _I’m_ the hottest? Besides, everyone’s expecting me to put it in the attic. Someone will go looking for it there, so I figured the safest place was with its owner.”

“You want to give that _back_ to the Stolls?” Will asked flatly. “I don’t think I have to say how bad of an idea that is.”

Nico glared at him. “Would you shut up and listen?” He took a breath. “Look. We’re both physically kids right now. But that doesn’t change where we came from. And had this been two months ago when we were older, I wouldn’t have had a problem choosing. Well, maybe. I would probably have done it privately to avoid another Trojan War, but I definitely would have someone in mind who I could pick.”

“Okay?”

“And you say _I’m_ the dense one,” Nico sighed. He shoved the box at Will. “Here. It’s yours now.”

There were probably a million ways he could have responded to that. Of course he picked the dumbest one.

“I don’t want to start a war either,” Will said, staring down at the box. “Why do you want _me_ to pick?”

Nico buried his very red face in his hands. “I’m not. I picked who I wanted to give the golden mango to, Will. And I gave it to that person. You.”

Will blinked. “Oh.” Then he grinned. “You think I’m hot?”

“You’re the son of the sun god.”

“Not what I meant and you know it.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Dork.”

“How am _I_ the dork? You’re the dork with that cheesy line.”

“I hate you.”

“Apparently not,” Will said. “Seeing as you gave me this mango. I always knew you were the sappy, cheesy one.”

“Well, if you don’t want it, I’m sure Percy would—”

“I’m keeping it,” Will said quickly.

Nico grinned. “Jealousy, thy name is Will.”

“That’s annoying.”

“You’re _significantly_ annoying. I think I’m allowed to annoy you a little.”

“Sappy,” Will said, poking Nico’s shoulder with each syllable.

Overall, maybe the prank wasn’t such a bad thing. In this timeline anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember those skeletons Nico banished that was mentioned in Battle of the Labyrinth when Nico joined Lee, Michael, and Kayla in hunting the drakon? Yes... I kind of forgot that Nico never actually banished the skeletons at the end of Titans Curse for some reason. But guess what? That's been resolved now! Because now Nico HAS banished skeletons. Yes, this is such a minor detail that probably none of you even remember, but it was bothering me.
> 
> Also... little pre-Solangelo fluff at the end. They are twelve, so no dating yet, but... awwwwwww. Cuteness.
> 
> Poor Nico though. I don't envy the position Paris was in.


	2. Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy just wanted to take his test in peace. He should have known it was useless to hope for one normal day. Now he's stuck spending the holidays in the Underworld with his cousins Nico and Thalia trying to find a sword with the power to lock and unlock death. Oh, and did he mention that this is the moment when he either gains a new old friend by wiping that friend's memory? Yes, this is definitely going to be the best Christmas ever.

CHRISTMAS IN THE UNDERWORLD wasn’t exactly the way Percy had hoped things to go.

He really wished he could have said he didn’t know this was coming, but still. Things just had a nasty habit of going exactly the way he didn’t want them to go.

It would have been nice though if he could have avoided the army of demons, a fight with a Titan, and a trick that almost got him and his friends cast into eternal darkness.

Unfortunately, he had to take an English exam and there was no way his mom would have allowed him to skip that. So there he was, the last day of the winter semester at Goode High School, sitting in the auditorium with all the other freshmen and trying to finish his I-didn’t-read-it-but-I’m-pretending-like-I-did essay on _A Tale of Two Cities_ , when Mrs. O’Leary burst onto the stage, barking like crazy.

Percy sighed, knowing what the Mist would make his pet hellhound look like. He really wished he had put more of an effort into learning how to manipulate the Mist so at least he could make them see a Golden Retriever or a German Shepard or something much more tougher than a poodle.

Everyone looked up. They started snickering and laughing. A couple of the girls said, “Awww, cute!”

Percy caught the eyes of Rachel Elizabeth Dare who was glancing between the hellhound and Percy like she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was going on, but at the same time, she wanted to know exactly what was going on.

The English teacher, Dr. Boring (yes, that’s his real name), adjusted his glasses and frowned.

“All right,” he said. “Whose poodle?”

Rachel’s eyes bugged out of her head like she couldn’t believe anyone would mistake a hellhound for a poodle. Percy agreed. It was a pretty hard mistake to make.

“Um, my poodle, sir,” Percy spoke up, resigned to his fate as the poodle-boy. “Sorry, it must have… followed… me.”

Somebody behind him started whistling “Mary had a Little Lamb.” More kids cracked up.

“Enough!” Dr. Boring snapped. “Percy Jackson, this is a final exam. I cannot have poodles—”

“WOOF!” Mrs. O’Leary’s bark shook the auditorium. She wagged her tail, knocking over a few more elves. Then she crouched on her front paws and stared at Percy like she wanted him to follow.

“I’ll get her out of here, Dr. Boring,” Percy promised. “I’m finished anyway.”

He closed his test booklet and ran toward the stage. Mrs. O’Leary bounded for the exit and Percy followed, the other kids still laughing and calling out behind him, “See ya, Poodle Boy!”

“Guess there’s one upside about going to a different school every year,” Percy muttered. “I won’t have to put up with this for much longer.”

* * *

Mrs. O’Leary ran down East Eighty-first Street toward the river.

“Slow down!” Percy yelled. “I can’t run that fast!”

He got some strange looks from pedestrians, but this was New York, so a boy chasing a poodle probably wasn’t the weirdest thing they’d ever seen.

Mrs. O’Leary kept well ahead of Percy. She turned to bark every once in a while as if to say _Move it, slowpoke!_ She ran three blocks north, straight into Carl Schurz Park. By the time Percy caught up with her, she’d leapt an iron fence and disappeared into a huge topiary wall of snow-covered bushes.

Percy sighed and climbed the fence, plunging into the frozen shrubbery.

On the other side was a clearing—a half acre of icy grass ringed with bare trees. Mrs. O’Leary was sniffing around, wagging her tail like crazy. Suddenly, she lifted her head and her nostrils quivered.

Percy took out his pen and uncapped it. Immediately Riptide appeared in his hand. The bronze blade glowed faintly in the winter light.

The bushes rustled and a golden deer burst through. The deer had metallic fur and horns that looked like a genuine fourteen-karat. It shimmered with an aura of golden light, making it almost too bright to look at.

Mrs. O’Leary licked her lips like she was thinking _Deer burgers!_ Then the bushes rustled again and a figure in a hooded parka leaped into the clearing, an arrow notched in her bow. The girl aimed at Percy—then froze.

“Percy?” She pushed back the silvery hood of her parka. Her black hair was longer than it was the last time Percy saw her, but her eternally young face remained the same as ever.

“Hey, Thalia,” Percy greeted. “What’s up?”

“I was following the golden deer,” she said, like that should be obvious. “It’s the sacred animal of Artemis. I figured it was some sort of sign. And, um…” She nodded nervously at Mrs. O’Leary. “You want to tell me what that’s doing here?”

“That’s my pet—Mrs. O’Leary, no!”

Mrs. O’Leary was sniffing the deer and basically not respecting its personal space. The deer butted the hellhound in the nose. Pretty soon, the two of them were playing a strange game of keep-away around the clearing.

“Percy…”Thalia frowned. “This can’t be a coincidence. You and me ending up in the same place at the same time?”

“I don’t believe in coincidences anymore,” Percy said. “It’s probably some god messing with us. It’s good to see you though.”

Thalia gave him a grudging smile. “Yeah. We get out of this in one piece, I’ll buy you a cheeseburger. How’s Annabeth?”

Before Percy could answer, a cloud passed over the sun. The golden deer shimmered and disappeared, leaving Mrs. O’Leary barking at a pile of leaves.

Percy readied his sword. Thalia drew her bow. Instinctively they stood back-to-back. A patch of darkness passed over the clearing and a boy tumbled out of it like he’d been tossed, landing in the grass at their feet.

“Ow,” he muttered. He brushed off his aviator’s jacket. He had dark hair, jeans, a black T-shirt, and a silver skull ring on his right hand. A sword hung at his side.

“’Sup, Nico,” Percy said, looking down at the son of Hades.

Thalia eyed Nico. “Huh. You grew up.”

“It’s only been a year,” Nico said. He stood up.

“How’s Camp?” Percy asked.

Nico shrugged. “Haven’t been there. I mean, I’ve been visiting an old friend. I was in a New Orleans graveyard when I appeared here.”

Thalia’s lips pinched. “All three children of the Big Three in one place.” She took a sharp breath. “You don’t think Kronos…” She didn’t finish the thought.

The ground rumbled. Nico drew his own sword—a black blade of Stygian iron. Mrs. O’Leary leaped backward and barked in alarm. The ground opened up under Thalia, Nico, and Percy, and they fell into darkness.

* * *

Falling was not good. As he fell, Percy imagined the hot wind whipping at his face. The heat rising and rising as he fell. He could almost see the red and orange tinted world below. Percy squeezed his eyes shut.

The next thing he knew, his feet were standing on solid ground. Percy opened his eyes to see that he was standing in a garden.

Nico glanced at Percy. “You okay?”

“I’m here,” Percy said. “In a garden.”

Thalia gave him an odd look at the way he answered Nico’s question, but she didn’t push. Nico just nodded, understanding what Percy was really saying.

“Where are we anyway?” Thalia asked.

The garden was dark. Rows of silver flowers glowed faintly, reflecting off huge gemstones that lined the planting beds—diamonds, sapphires, and rubies the size of footballs. Trees arched over their heads, their branches covered with orange blooms and sweet-smelling fruit. The air was cool and damp—but not like a New York winter. More like a cave.

Nico plucked a pomegranate off a tree. “My stepmother Persephone’s garden.” He made a sour face and tossed the fruit aside with more force than was probably necessary. “Don’t eat anything.”

“Heads up,” Thalia warned.

Percy turned and found her aiming her bow at a tall woman in a white dress.

At first glance, the woman looked like a ghost. Her dress billowed around her like smoke. Her long dark hair floated and curled as if it were weightless. Her face was beautiful but deathly pale.

But her dress wasn’t white. It was made of all sorts of changing colors—red, blue, and yellow flowers blooming in the fabric—but it was strangely faded. Her eyes were the same way, multi-colored but washed out, like the Underworld had sapped her life force.

“I am Persephone,” she said, her voice thin and papery. “Welcome, demigods.”

Nico squashed a pomegranate under his boot. “Some welcome. It was you who brought us all together wasn’t it?”

Persephone regarded Nico coldly. “Nico di Angelo.” She turned away from Nico. “As I was saying, demigods, I welcome you to my garden.”

Thalia lowered her bow. “You sent the golden deer?”

“And the hellhound,” the goddess admitted. “And the shadow that collected Nico. It was necessary to bring you together.”

“Why?” Percy asked.

Persephone regarded him, and he felt like cold little flowers were blooming in his stomach.

“Lord Hades has a problem,” she said. “And if you know what’s good for you, you will help him.”

* * *

They sat on a dark veranda overlooking the garden. Persephone’s handmaidens brought food and drink, which no one touched. The handmaidens would’ve been pretty except for the fact that they were dead. They wore yellow dresses, with daisy and hemlock wreaths on their heads. Their eyes were hollow, and they spoke in the chittering batlike voices of shades.

Persephone sat on a silver throne and studied the three demigods. “If this were spring, I would be able to greet you properly in the world above. Alas, in winter this is the best I can do.” She folded her hands on the table. “I would do anything for Hades, but in this case, I need your help, and quickly. It concerns Lord Hades’s sword.”

Nico scowled. “My father doesn’t have a sword. He uses a staff in battle, and his helm of terror.”

“He didn’t have a sword,” Persephone corrected.

Thalia sat up. “He’s forging a new symbol of power? Without Zeus’s permission?”

The goddess of springtime pointed. Above the table, an image flickered to life: skeletal weapon smiths worked over a forge of black flames, using hammers fashioned like metal skulls to beat a length of iron into a blade.

“War with the Titans is almost upon us,” Persephone said. “My lord Hades must be ready.”

“But Zeus and Poseidon would never allow Hades to forge a new weapon!” Thalia protested. “It would unbalance their power-sharing agreement.”

Persephone shook her head. “You mean it would make Hades their equal? Believe me, daughter of Zeus, the Lord of the Dead has no designs against his brothers. He knew they would never understand, which is why he forged the blade in secret.”

“I mean, she’s got a point,” Percy said.

Thalia gave him a dark look as the image over the table shimmered. A zombie weapon smith raised the blade, still glowing hot. Something strange was set in the base—not a gem. More like…

“Is that a key?” Percy asked.

Nico made a gagging sound. “The keys of Hades?”

“Wait,” Thalia said. “What are the keys of Hades?”

“It’s a set of golden keys that can lock or unlock death,” Nico answered.

Persephone nodded. “That is true.”

“How do you lock and unlock death?” Thalia asked.

“The keys have the power to imprison a soul in the Underworld,” Persephone said. “Or to release it.”

Nico swallowed. “If one of those keys has been set in the sword—”

“The wielder can raise the dead,” Persephone said, “or slay any living thing and send its soul to the Underworld with a mere touch of the blade.”

They were all silent. The shadowy fountain gurgled in the corner. Handmaidens floated around, offering trays of fruit and candy that would keep the demigods in the Underworld forever.

“That’s a wicked sword,” Percy said at last.

“It would make Hades unstoppable,” Thalia agreed.

“So you see,” Persephone said, “why you must help get it back.”

“Of course it’s missing,” Percy sighed.

Persephone’s eyes were beautiful and deadly serious, like poisonous blooms. “The blade was stolen when it was almost finished. I do not know how, but I suspect a demigod, some servant of Kronos. If the blade falls into the Titan lord’s hands—”

Thalia shot to her feet. “You allowed the blade to be stolen! How stupid was that? Kronos probably has it by now!”

Thalia’s arrows sprouted into long-stemmed roses. Her bow melted into a honeysuckle vine dotted with white and gold flowers.

“Take care, huntress,” Persephone warned. “Your father may be Zeus, and you may be the lieutenant of Artemis, but you do not speak to me with disrespect in my own palace.”

Thalia ground her teeth. “Give… me… back… my… bow.”

Persephone waved her hand. The bow and arrows changed back to normal. “Now, sit and listen. The sword could not have left the Underworld yet. Lord Hades used his remaining keys to shut down the realm. Nothing gets in or out until he finds the sword, and he is using all his power to locate the thief.”

Thalia sat down reluctantly. “Then what do you need us for?”

“The search for the blade cannot be common knowledge,” said the goddess. “We have locked the realm, but we have not announced why, nor can Hades’s servants be used for the search. They cannot know the blade exists until it is finished. Certainly they can’t know it is missing.”

“If they thought Hades was in trouble, they might desert him,” Nico guessed. “And join the Titans.”

Persephone didn’t answer, but if a goddess can look nervous, she did. “The thief must be a demigod. No immortal can steal another immortal’s weapon directly. Even Kronos must abide by that Ancient Law. He has a champion down here somewhere. And to catch a demigod… we shall use three.”

“Why us?” Percy said.

“You are the children of the three major gods,” Persephone said. “Who could withstand your combined power? Besides, when you restore the sword to Hades, you will send a message to Olympus. Zeus and Poseidon will not protest Hades’s new weapon if it is given to him by their own children. It will show that you trust Hades.”

“But I don’t trust him,” Thalia said.

“Neither do I, but I trust him more than the Titans,” Percy said.

“Time is wasting,” Persephone said. “The thief may have accomplices in the Underworld, and he will be looking for a way out.”

Thalia frowned. “I thought you said the realm was locked.”

“No prison is airtight, not even the Underworld. Souls are always finding new ways out faster than Hades can close them. You must retrieve the sword before it leaves our realm, or all is lost.”

“Even if we wanted to,” Thalia said, “how would we find this thief?”

A potted plant appeared on the table: a sickly yellow carnation with a few green leaves. The flower listed sideways, as if it were trying to find the sun.

“This will guide you,” the goddess said.

“A magic carnation,” Percy said.

“The flower always faces the thief. As your prey gets closer to escaping, the petals will fall off.”

Right on cue, a yellow petal turned gray and fluttered into the dirt.

“If all the petals fall off,” Persephone said, “the flower dies. This means the thief has reached an exit and you have failed.”

Percy glanced at Thalia. She didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the whole track-a-thief-with-a-flower thing.

“Well, as long as Hades swears on the Styx not to use the sword to, like, overthrow the gods or something, I’m in,” Percy said.

The goddess shrugged. “I am not Lord Hades, but I am confident he would do this—as payment for your help.”

Another petal fell off the carnation.

Percy turned to Thalia. “I’ll hold the flower while you beat up the thief?”

She sighed. “Fine. Let’s go catch this jerk.”

* * *

The Underworld didn’t get into the Christmas spirit. As the three demigods made their way down the palace road into the Fields of Asphodel, it looked pretty much like it had on Percy’s previous visit—seriously depressing. Yellow grass and stunted black poplar trees rolled on forever. Shades drifted aimlessly across the hills, coming from nowhere and going nowhere, chattering to each other and trying to remember who they were in life. High above them, the cavern ceiling glistened darkly.

Percy glanced around out of the corners of his eyes. Even if they _did_ see Hazel, it wasn’t like they could bring her out of the Underworld with them. But it gave Percy something to focus on besides the eerie red glow coming from the direction of the deepest part of the Underworld.

He carried the carnation, which made him feel pretty stupid. Nico led the way since his blade could clear a path through any crowd of undead. Thalia mostly grumbled that she should’ve known better than to go on a quest with a couple of boys.

Nico forged ahead. No matter how crowded the fields were—and if you’ve ever seen Times Square on New Year’s Eve, you have a pretty good idea—the spirits parted before him.

“He’s handy with zombie crowds,” Thalia admitted. “Think I’ll take him along next time I go to the mall.”

She gripped her bow tight, like she was afraid it would turn into a honeysuckle vine again. She looked around Asphodel more blatantly than Percy was, scanning the faces of the dead.

Percy knew there wasn’t exactly any love lost between Thalia and her mom. It was much more likely that Thalia was looking for _Jason_ rather than her mom. It hit him that in a short couple years, Jason would have been down here with the dead. That was something Percy didn’t want to happen.

“You okay?” he asked Thalia.

“Fine,” Thalia snapped. Then she caught herself. “Sorry, Percy. I was just… nevermind.”

“Sorry,” Percy said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s fine,” Thalia shrugged it off. She gave Percy a concerned look. “But are _you_ okay? You look really pale.”

Percy’s eyes darted away from Thalia’s gaze. “Fine. It’s probably just the Underworld getting to me.”

Nico glanced back at that. Percy could see that Nico wasn’t looking too great himself. The son of Hades always had pale skin, but usually it was a warmer olive. That would probably be a side effect from not spending much time in the Underworld. Now, it was like Nico was as drained of color as Persephone’s dress.

The flower in the pot Percy was holding was quivering as he walked. Percy thought that maybe that was less likely to do with the motion of walking and more likely to do with his shaking hands. It was a wonder he hadn’t dropped the pot with how clammy his hands had turned.

“If you say so,” Thalia said dubiously.

Another petal fell off the carnation.

She grimaced. “We better hurry.”

Percy and Nico faltered when the flower pointed them towards the Fields of Punishment. The screaming and the overall evil atmosphere were too reminiscent of Tartarus for their liking. They had to jump over a lava stream and pick their way past scenes of horrible torture.

The carnation tilted its face toward a hill on the left.

“Up there,” Percy said.

Thalia and Nico stopped. They were covered with soot from trudging through Punishment. Percy probably didn’t look much better.

A loud grinding noise came from the other side of the hill, like somebody was dragging a washing machine. Then the hill shook with a _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_ and a man yelled curses.

Thalia looked at Nico. “Is that who I think it is?”

“Afraid so,” Nico said. “The number-one expert on cheating death.” He led Thalia and Percy to the top of the hill.

The dude on the other side was not pretty, and he was not happy. He looked like one of those troll dolls with orange skin, a pot belly, scrawny legs and arms, and a big loincloth/diaper thing around his waist. His ratty hair stuck up like a torch. He was hopping around, cursing and kicking a boulder that was twice as big as he was.

“I won’t!” he screamed. “No, no, no!”

Then he launched into a string of cuss words in several different languages. He started to walk away from the boulder, but after ten feet he lurched backward, like some invisible force had pulled him. He staggered back to the boulder and started banging his head against it.

“All right!” he screamed. “All right, curse you!” He rubbed his head and muttered some more cuss words. “But this is the last time. Do you hear me?”

Nico looked at his friends. “Come on. While he’s between attempts.”

The three demigods scrambled down the hill.

“Sisyphus!” Nico called.

The troll guy looked up in surprise. Then he scrambled behind his rock. “Oh, no! You’re not fooling me with those disguises! I know you’re the Furies!”

“We’re not the Furies,” Percy said. “We just want to talk.”

“Go away!” he shrieked. “Flowers won’t make it better. It’s too late to apologize!”

“Look,” Thalia said, “we just want—”

“La-la-la!” he yelled. “I’m not listening!”

They played tag with him around the boulder until finally Thalia, who was the quickest, caught the old man by his hair.

“Stop it!” he wailed. “I have rocks to move. Rocks to move!”

“I’ll move your rock!” Thalia offered. “Just shut up and talk to my friends.”

Sisyphus stopped fighting. “You’ll—you’ll move my rock?”

“It’s better than looking at you.” Thalia glanced at Percy. “Be quick about it.” Then she shoved Sisyphus toward him and Nico. She put her shoulder against the rock and started pushing it very slowly uphill.

Sisyphus scowled at Percy distrustfully. He pinched Percy’s nose.

“Ow!” Percy said.

“So you’re really not a Fury,” he said in amazement. “What’s the flower for?”

“We’re looking for someone,” Percy said. “The flower is helping us find him.”

“Persephone!” He spit in the dust. “That’s one of her tracking devices, isn’t it?” He leaned forward, and sent an unpleasant whiff of old-guy-who’s-been-rolling-a-rock-for-eternity. “I fooled her once, you know. I fooled them all.”

“Yes,” Nico said, looking unamused. “You cheated death. Chaining up Thanatos, telling your wife not to do proper rites… yeah, you’re a real trickster.”

“But it worked!” Sisyphus cackled.

Percy glanced up at where Thalia was halfway up the hill. She gritted her teeth, pushing the boulder with her back. Her expression said _Hurry up!_

“Uh, but now you’re being punished,” Percy pointed out. “Was it worth it?”

“A temporary setback!” Sisyphus cried. “I’ll bust out of here soon, and when I do, they’ll all be sorry!”

A chill ran down Percy’s spine. There was no way Sisyphus could _know_ could he? Was the goddesses plans already in motion _this_ early? The easy answer was no, but then again, no one had expected all the wars to be connected.

“How would you get out of the Underworld?” Nico asked. “It’s locked down, you know.”

Sisyphus grinned wickedly. “That’s what the other one asked.”

“Who?” Percy asked. “Who asked for advice?”

“An angry young man,” Sisyphus recalled. “Not very polite. Held a sword to my throat. Didn’t offer to roll my boulder at all.”

“What did you tell him?” Nico said. “Who was he?”

Sisyphus massaged his shoulders. He glanced up at Thalia, who was almost to the top of the hill. Her face was bright red and drenched in sweat.

“Oh… it’s hard to say,” Sisyphus said. “Never seen him before. He carried a long package all wrapped up in black cloth. Skis, maybe? A shovel? Maybe if you wait here, I could go look for him…”

“What did you tell him?” Percy demanded.

“Can’t remember.”

Nico drew his sword. The Stygian iron was so cold it steamed in the hot dry air of Punishment. “Try harder.”

The old man winced. “What kind of person carries a sword like that?”

“A son of Hades,” Nico said. “Now answer me!”

The color drained from Sisyphus’s face. “I told him to talk to Melinoe! She always has a way out!”

“Melinoe!” Nico hissed.

Percy frowned. “What did this demigod look like?”

“Um… he had a nose,” Sisyphus said. “A mouth. And one eye and—”

“One eye?” Percy interrupted. “Did he have an eye patch?”

“Oh… maybe,” Sisyphus said. “He had hair on his head. And—” He gasped and looked over my shoulder. “There he is!”

Percy wished he could say he didn’t fall for it, but he and Nico both turned around. As soon as they turned, Sisyphus took off down the hill.

“I’m free! I’m free! I’m—ACK!”

Ten feet from the hill, he hit the end of his invisible leash and fell on his back. Nico and Percy grabbed his arms and hauled him up the hill.

“Curse you!” He let loose with bad words in Ancient Greek, Latin, English, French, and several other languages Percy didn’t recognize. “I’ll never help you! Go to Hades!”

“Already there,” Nico muttered.

“Incoming!” Thalia shouted.

Percy looked up and might have used a few cuss words himself. The boulder was bouncing straight toward him and Nico. Nico jumped one way. Percy jumped the other.

Sisyphus yelled, “NOOOOOOO!” as the thing plowed into him. Somehow he braced himself and stopped it before it could run him over. Practice makes perfect.

“Take it again!” he wailed. “Please. I can’t hold it.”

“Not again,” Thalia gasped. “You’re on your own.”

They left him behind, cursing and wailing.

“Melinoe’s cave is this way,” Nico said. There was a certain edge to his voice that Percy wasn’t sure he liked the sound of.

“This thief guy has one eye,” Percy said. “That could be Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis. I didn’t hear Sisyphus mention anyone else, but the times I’ve run into Ethan, he’s always got this girl Allegra with him.”

“I remember,” Nico said darkly. “But if we’re dealing with Melinoe, we’ve got bigger problems. Come on.”

As we walked away, Sisyphus was yelling, “All right, but this is the last time. Do you hear me? The last time!”

Thalia shuddered.

“You okay?” Percy asked her.

“I guess…” She hesitated. “Percy, the scary thing is, when I got to the top, I thought I had it. I thought, This isn’t so hard. I can get the rock to stay. And as it rolled down, I was almost tempted to try it again. I figured I could get it the second time.” She looked back wistfully.

“Come on,” Percy told her. “The sooner we’re out of here the better.”

* * *

They walked for what seemed like eternity. Three more petals withered from the carnation, which meant it was now officially half dead. The flower pointed toward a range of jagged gray hills that looked like teeth, so the demigods trudged in that direction over a plain of volcanic rock.

“Nice day for a stroll,” Thalia muttered. “The Hunters are probably feasting in some forest glade right about now.”

Percy thought about his mom and step-dad Paul. They’d probably be worried when he didn’t come home from school, but it wasn’t the first time this had happened. They’d figure out pretty quickly he was on some quest. His mom would be pacing back and forth in the living room, wondering if he was going to make it back to unwrap presents.

“So who is this Melinoe?” Percy asked, trying to take his mind off home.

“Goddess of ghosts,” Nico started to explain when Thali dropped into a crouch.

“Weapons!” she shouted.

Percy drew Riptide. He probably didn’t look too terrifying with a potted carnation in his other hand, so he put it down. Nico drew his sword and Thalia notched an arrow. They stood back-to-back.

“What is it?” Percy whispered.

Thalia seemed to be listening. Then her eyes widened.

A ring of a dozen daimones materialized around us. They were part humanoid female, part bat. Their faces were pug-nosed and furry, with fangs and bulging eyes. Matted gray fur and piecemeal armor covered their bodies. They had shriveled arms with claws for hands, leathery wings that sprouted from their backs, and stubby bowed legs. They would’ve looked funny except for the murderous glow in their eyes.

“Keres,” Nico said. “Battlefield spirits. They feed on violent death.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Thalia said.

“Get back!” Nico ordered the daimones. “The son of Hades commands you!”

The Keres hissed. Their mouths foamed. They glanced apprehensively at the assortment of weapons aimed at them, but Percy got the feeling the Keres weren’t impressed by Nico’s command.

“Soon Hades will be defeated,” one of them snarled. “Our new master shall give us free rein!”

Nico blinked. “New master?”

The lead daimon lunged. Nico was so surprised it might have slashed him to bits, but Thalia shot an arrow point-blank into its ugly bat face, and the creature disintegrated.

The rest of them charged. Thalia dropped her bow and drew her knives. Percy ducked as Nico’s sword whistled over his head, cutting a daimon in half. Percy sliced and jabbed, and three or four Keres exploded around him, but more just kept coming.

“Iapetus shall crush you!” one shouted.

The name hit Percy like a bag of bricks. He stumbled and almost let the daimon get away. He recovered enough to run her through, but the name still rang in Percy’s mind.

Nico was cutting an arc through the Keres. His black sword absorbed their essence like a vacuum cleaner, and the more he destroyed, the colder the air became around him. Thalia flipped a daimon on its back, stabbed it, and impaled another one with her second knife without even turning around.

“Die in pain, mortal!”

Before Percy could raise his sword for defense, another daimon’s claws raked his shoulder. If he’d been wearing armor, no problem, but Percy was still in his school uniform. The thing’s talons sliced open his shirt and tore into his skin. His whole left side seemed to explode in pain.

Nico kicked the monster away and stabbed it. All Percy could do was collapse and curl into a ball, trying to endure the horrible burning.

The sound of battle died. Thalia and Nico rushed to his side.

“Hold still, Percy,” Thalia said. “You’ll be fine.” But her voice quivered.

“I got this,” Nico said. “I’m going to pour nectar on your wound, Percy,” he announced. He uncorked a bottle of the godly drink and trickled it across Percy’s shoulder.

Immediately the pain eased.

Nico made quick work of dressing the wound, and Percy only passed out a few times.

He couldn’t judge how much time went by, but the next thing Percy remembered he was propped up with his back against a rock. His shoulder was bandaged.

Thalia was feeding Percy tiny squares of chocolate-flavored ambrosia.

“The Keres?” he muttered.

“Gone for now,” she said. “You had me worried for a second, Percy, but I think you’ll make it.”

Nico crouched next to them. He was holding the potted carnation. Only five petals still clung to the flower.

“The Keres will be back,” he warned. He looked at Percy’s shoulder. “I did the best I could, but you’re going to need a god’s power to heal that wound.”

Thalia gave Nico a half-smile. “For a Death Boy, he did pretty good with the healing stuff.”

“I help Will in the infirmary sometimes,” Nico said.

Thalia raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Go figure.”

“Thanks, Nico,” Percy said. He tried to sit up and immediately felt nauseous.

“Slow,” Thalia said. “You need rest before you can move.”

“There’s no time.” Percy looked at the carnation. “One of the daimones mentioned… Iapetus.”

Thalia nodded uneasily. “The brother of Kronos, father of Atlas. He was known as the Titan of the west. His name means ‘the Piercer’ because that’s what he likes to do to his enemies. He was cast into Tartarus along with his brothers. He’s supposed to still be down there.”

“But if the sword of Hades can unlock death?” Percy asked.

“Then maybe,” Nico said, “it can also summon the damned out of Tartarus. We can’t let them try.”

“We still don’t know who them is,” Thalia said.

“The half-blood working for Kronos,” Percy said. “Probably Ethan Nakamura. And he’s starting to recruit some of Hades’s minions to his side—like the Keres. The daimones think that if Kronos wins the war, they’ll get more chaos and evil out of the deal.”

“They’re probably right,” Nico said. “My father tries to keep a balance. He reins in the more violent spirits. If Kronos appoints one of his brothers to be the lord of the Underworld, then the Underworld will get a lot worse. The Keres would like that. So would Melinoe.”

“You still haven’t told us who Melinoe is,” Thalia pointed out.

Nico chewed his lip. “She’s the goddess of ghosts—one of my father’s servants. She oversees the restless dead that walk the earth. Every night she rises from the Underworld to terrify mortals.”

“She has her own path into the upper world?”

Nico nodded. “I doubt it would be blocked. Normally, no one would even think about trespassing in her cave. But if this demigod thief is brave enough to make a deal with her—”

“He could get back to the world,” Thalia supplied, “and bring the sword to Kronos.”

“And then raise the other Titans from Tartarus,” Percy finished. He struggled to his feet. A wave of nausea almost made him black out, but Thalia grabbed him.

“Percy,” she said, “you’re in no condition—”

“I have to be.” He watched as another petal withered and fell off the carnation. Four left before doomsday. “Give me the potted plant. We have to find the cave of Melinoe.”

* * *

As they walked, Percy tried to think about positive things: all his quests with Annabeth, the time he walked into the training arena to see a decapitated dummy that looked remarkably like Magnus and a laughing Alex standing over it with the real Magnus gapping at it, what his mom would make for Christmas dinner—anything but the pain.

Still, it felt like a saber-toothed tiger was chewing on his shoulder. He wasn’t going to be much good in a fight, and Percy cursed himself for letting down his guard. He should never have gotten hurt.

When they reached the Lethe, Percy broke out of his reverie. The dark waters roared and churned through a gorge of volcanic rock. The river was narrow and fast. The water was black as ink. Even the foam churned black. The far bank was only thirty feet across, but that was too far to jump, and there was no bridge.

“The Lethe,” Nico said, wide eyed. “I…”

Thalia looked at him. “What?”

“Hades had Bianca and I taken here,” Nico murmured. “To… to forget.” The water reflected in his eyes. “It doesn’t work as well on living people as it does on the dead. Over time memories come back, but don’t let it touch you. If one drop of that water gets on you, you’ll start to forget who you are.”

Thalia stared at the water. “Sorry, Nico. Luke told me about this place.” She studied the opposite bank. “I could shoot an arrow across, maybe anchor a line to one of those rocks.”

“You want to trust your weight to a line that isn’t tied off ?” Nico asked.

Thalia frowned. “You’re right. Works in the movies, but… no. Could you summon some dead people to help us?”

“I could, but they would only appear on my side of the river. Running water acts as a barrier against the dead. They can’t cross it.”

“What kind of stupid rule is that?”

“Hey, I didn’t make it up.”

“I got this,” Percy said.

Thalia gave him an incredulous look. “What? You can barely stand.”

“It’s water, isn’t it? I’ll have to control it. I can redirect the flow long enough to get us across.”

Percy staggered to the edge of the river. He knew he could do this. He just hoped he could hold it long enough to get across.

“Stand back,” he said.

Percy concentrated on the current—the raging black water rushing past. He imagined it was part of his own body. He could control the flow, make it respond to his will. The water churned and bubbled more violently.

“Here goes nothing,” Percy muttered.

He raised his arms like he was lifting something over his head. Percy’s bad shoulder burned like lava, but he tried to ignore it. The river rose. It surged out of its banks, flowing up and then down again in a great arc—a raging black rainbow of water twenty feet high. The riverbed in front of the three demigods turned to drying mud, a tunnel under the river just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

Thalia stared at Percy in amazement.

“Go,” he said. “I can’t hold this for long.”

Yellow spots danced in front of his eyes. His wounded shoulder nearly screamed in pain. Thalia and Nico scrambled into the riverbed and made their way across the sticky mud.

 _Not a single drop. I can’t let a single drop of water touch them,_ Percy thought.

The River Lethe fought Percy. It didn’t want to be forced out of its banks. It wanted to crash down on his friends, wipe their minds clean, and drown them. But Percy held the arc.

Thalia climbed the opposite bank and turned to help Nico.

“Come on, Percy!” she said. “Walk!”

His knees were shaking. His arms trembled. Percy took a step forward and almost fell. The water arc quivered.

“Come on, Percy!” Thalia called.

Somehow Percy managed to climb down into the riverbed. One step, then another. The water surged above him. His boots squished in the mud.

Halfway across, he stumbled. Thalia screamed, “No!” And Percy’s concentration broke.

As the River Lethe crashed down on him, Percy had time for one last desperate thought: _Dry._

He heard the roar and felt the crash of tons of water as the river fell back into its natural course. But…

Percy opened his eyes. He was surrounded in darkness, but he was completely dry. A layer of air covered him like a second skin, shielding him from the effects of the water. Percy struggled to his feet. Even this small effort to stay dry was almost more than he could handle. He slogged forward through the black current, blind and doubled over with pain.

Percy climbed out of the River Lethe, surprising Thalia and Nico, who jumped back a good five feet. He staggered forward, collapsed in front of his friends, and passed out cold.

* * *

The taste of nectar brought him around. His shoulder felt better, but he had an uncomfortable buzz in his ears. His eyes felt hot, like he had a fever.

“No more nectar,” Nico sighed. “Gods, where’s an Apollo kid when you need one?”

“Ow,” Percy groaned. He sat up slowly. His shoulder was newly bandaged. It still hurt, but he was able to stand.

“We’re close,” Nico said. “Can you walk?”

The mountain loomed above us. A dusty trail snaked up a few hundred feet to the mouth of a cave. The path was lined with human bones for that extra cozy feel.

“Ready,” Percy said.

“I don’t like this,” Thalia murmured. She cradled the carnation, which was pointing toward the cave. The flower now had two petals left, like very sad bunny ears.

“A creepy cave,” Percy said. “The goddess of ghosts. What’s not to like?”

As if in response, a hissing sound echoed down the mountain. White mist billowed from the cave like someone had turned on a dry-ice machine. In the fog, an image appeared—a tall woman with disheveled blond hair. She wore a pink bathrobe and had a wineglass in her hand. Her face was stern and disapproving.

Percy knew this was Melinoe, but everything about the woman felt so real. If he couldn’t see straight through the woman, he might have believed this was really Beryl Grace.

“Now you come back,” she growled. “Well, it’s too late!”

Thalia lowered her bow. “Mother?” Her eyes teared up. Suddenly she looked about seven years old.

The spirit threw down her wine glass. It shattered and dissolved into the fog. “That’s right, girl. Doomed to walk the earth, and it’s your fault! Where were you when I died? Why did you run away when I needed you?”

“I—I—”

“Thalia!” Percy said. “It’s just a shade. That’s not your mom!”

“I’m more than that,” the spirit growled. “And Thalia knows it.”

“But—you abandoned me,” Thalia said.

“You wretched girl! Ungrateful runaway!”

“Stop!” Nico stepped forward with his sword drawn, but the spirit changed form and faced him.

Percy’s breath caught when he recognized Bianca di Angelo in her Hunters of Artemis apparel.

Nico stopped in his tracks. “No…”

“Brother,” the ghost spat. “You left me to die. You could have saved me!”

“No,” Nico said shaking his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “No, no, no. I _tried_ to save her.”

The fog began thickening around the demigod’s feet, twining around their legs like vines. The colors seemed to fade from their clothes and faces, as if they too were becoming shades.

“Enough,” Percy said, but his voice hardly worked. Despite the pain, he lifted his sword and stepped toward the ghost. “Stop playing tricks!” he shouted. Unable to help himself, he added, “Trix are for kids.”

The ghost turned toward Percy. The image flickered, and he saw the goddess of ghosts in her true form. Melinoe’s right half was pale chalky white, like she’d been drained of blood. Her left half was pitch-black and hardened, like mummy skin. She wore a golden dress and a golden shawl. Her eyes were empty black voids, and when Percy looked into them, he felt as if he was seeing his own death.

“Where are your ghosts?” she demanded in irritation.

Percy gave her a defiant look. “I don’t have any. I gave it my all to save people and even though I didn’t save everyone, I’ve made my peace with that. They’ve passed on. They’re not ghosts. Now, let my friends go!”

He slashed at Melinoe with his sword. She backed up quickly, growling in frustration. The fog dissipated around Thalia and Nico friends. They stood blinking at the goddess as if they were just seeing how hideous she was.

“What is that?” Thalia said. “Where—”

“It was a trick,” Nico said. “She fooled us.”

“You are too late, demigods,” Melinoe said.

Another petal fell off the carnation, leaving only one.

“The deal has been struck.”

“What deal?” Thalia demanded.

Melinoe made a hissing sound, and Percy realized it was her way of laughing. “So many ghosts, my young demigod. They long to be unleashed. When Kronos rules the world, I shall be free to walk among mortals both night and day, sowing terror as they deserve.”

“Where’s the sword of Hades?” Percy demanded. “Where’s Ethan?”

“Close,” Melinoe promised. “I will not stop you. I will not need to. Soon, Percy Jackson, you will have many ghosts. And you will remember me.”

Thalia notched an arrow and aimed it at the goddess. “If you open a path to the world, do you really think Kronos will reward you? He’ll cast you into Tartarus along with the rest of Hades’s servants.”

Melinoe bared her teeth. “Your mother was right, Thalia. You are an angry girl. Good at running away. Not much else.”

The arrow flew, but as it touched Melinoe she dissolved into fog, leaving nothing but the hiss of her laughter. Thalia’s arrow hit the rocks and shattered harmlessly.

“Stupid ghost,” she muttered.

Percy could tell she was really shaken up. Her eyes were rimmed with red. Her hands trembled. Nico looked just as stunned, like someone had smacked him between the eyes.

“The thief…” he managed. “Probably in the cave. We have to stop him before—”

Just then, the last petal fell off the carnation. The flower turned black and wilted.

“Too late,” Percy said.

A man’s laughter echoed down the mountain.

“You’re right about that,” a voice boomed. Percy flinched.

At the mouth of the cave stood two people—a boy with an eye patch and ten-foot-tall man in a tattered prison jumpsuit. The boy was Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis. In his hands was an unfinished sword—a double-edged blade of black Stygian iron with skeletal designs etched in silver. It had no hilt, but set in the base of the blade was a golden key, just like I’d seen in Persephone’s image.

Percy didn’t see Allegra with Ethan, but he supposed that they didn’t _have to_ do everything together.

The giant man next to him, however, had eyes of pure silver. His face was covered with a scraggly beard and his gray hair stuck out wildly. He looked thin and haggard in his ripped prison clothes, as though he’d spent the last few thousand years at the bottom of a pit, but even in this weakened state he looked plenty scary. He held out his hand and a giant spear appeared. It hurt Percy to see the Titan like this.

The Titan smiled cruelly. “And now I will destroy you.”

“Master!” Ethan interrupted. He was dressed in combat fatigues with a backpack slung over his shoulder. His eye patch was crooked, his face smeared with soot and sweat. “We have the sword. We should—”

“Yes, yes,” the Titan said impatiently. “You’ve done well, Nawaka.”

“It’s Nakamura, master.”

“Whatever. I’m sure my brother Kronos will reward you. But now we have killing to attend to.”

“My lord,” Ethan persisted. “You’re not at full power. We should ascend and summon your brothers from the upper world. Our orders were to flee.”

The Titan whirled on him. “FLEE? Did you say FLEE?”

The ground rumbled. Ethan fell on his butt and scrambled backward. The unfinished sword of Hades clattered to the rocks. “M-m-master, please—”

“IAPETUS DOES NOT FLEE! I have waited three eons to be summoned from the pit. I want revenge, and I will start by killing these weaklings!”

He leveled his spear at Percy and charged.

* * *

If he’d been at full strength, Percy had no doubt Iapetus would’ve pierced him right through the middle. Even weakened and just out of the pit, the guy was fast. He moved like a tornado, slashing so quickly Percy barely had time to dodge the strike before his spear impaled the rock where he’d been standing.

Percy was so dizzy he could barely hold his sword. Iapetus yanked the spear out of the ground, but as he turned to face Percy, Thalia shot his flank full of arrows, from his shoulder to his knee. He roared and turned on her, looking more angry than wounded. Ethan Nakamura tried to draw his own sword, but Nico yelled, “I don’t think so!”

The ground erupted in front of Ethan. Three armored skeletons climbed out and engaged him, pushing him back. The sword of Hades still lay on the rocks. If Percy could only get to it…

Iapetus slashed with his spear and Thalia leaped out of the way. She dropped her bow so she could draw her knives, but she wouldn’t last long in close combat.

Nico left Ethan to the skeletons and charged Iapetus. Percy was already ahead of him. It felt like his shoulder was going to explode, but he launched himself at the Titan and stabbed downward with Riptide, impaling the blade in the Titan’s calf.

“AHHHH!” Golden ichor gushed from the wound. Iapetus whirled and the shaft of his spear slammed into Percy, sending him flying.

Percy crashed into the rocks, right next to the River Lethe.

“YOU DIE FIRST!” Iapetus roared as he hobbled toward me.

Thalia tried to get his attention by zapping him with an arc of electricity from her knives, but she might as well have been a mosquito. Nico stabbed with his sword, but Iapetus knocked him aside without even looking.

“I will kill you all! Then I will cast your souls into the eternal darkness of Tartarus!”

Percy’s eyes were full of spots. He could barely move. Another inch and he would fall into the river headfirst.

He felt guilty for wanting to do this. Was he so desperate to have his friend back that he was willing to manipulate him into this? Even as he tried to tell himself that Iapetus was bad, Percy was torn.

He took a deep breath. “You’re—you’re even uglier than your son,” Percy taunted the Titan. “I can see where Atlas gets his stupidity from.”

Iapetus snarled. He limped forward, raising his spear. He brought down the spear and Percy lurched sideways. The shaft impaled the ground right next to him. Percy reached up and grabbed Iapetus by the shirt collar, counting on the fact that he was off balance as well as hurt. He tried to regain his footing, but Percy pulled him forward with all his body weight.The Titan stumbled and fell, grabbing Percy’s arms in a panic, and together they pitched into the Lethe.

 _FLOOOOOM!_ They were immersed in black water.

The river channeled itself around Percy, leaving him holding the Titan by the shirt collar. Sending a massive prayer to his father for keeping him dry, Percy heaved himself and Iapetus out of the water. They collapsed on the riverbank—Percy perfectly dry, the Titan dripping wet. His pure silver eyes were as big as moons.

Thalia and Nico stood over Percy in amazement. Up by the cave, Ethan Nakamura was just cutting down the last skeleton. He turned and froze when he saw his Titan ally spread-eagle on the ground.

“My—my lord?” he called.

Iapetus sat up and stared at him. Then he looked at Percy and smiled.

“Hello,” he said. “Who am I?”

“You’re my friend,” Percy said, a soft smile on his lips. “You’re Bob.”

That seemed to please him greatly. “I am your friend Bob!”

Clearly, Ethan could tell things were not going his way. He glanced at the sword of Hades lying in the dirt, but before he could lunge for it, a silver arrow sprouted in the ground at his feet.

“Not today, kid,” Thalia warned. “One more step and I’ll pin your feet to the rocks.”

Ethan ran—straight into the cave of Melinoe. Thalia took aim at his back, but I said, “No. Let him go.”

She frowned but lowered her bow.

Nico picked up the sword of Hades. “Well. We did it.”

“We did?” Bob asked. “Did I help?”

Percy managed a weak smile. “Yeah, Bob. You did great.”

The demigods and Bob the Titan got an express ride back to the palace of Hades. Nico sent word ahead, thanks to some ghost he’d summoned out of the ground, and within a few minutes the Three Furies themselves arrived to ferry us back. They weren’t thrilled about lugging Bob the Titan too, but Percy and Nico were firm about taking Bob with them.

Bob had healed Percy’s shoulder wound with an “Owie” and a touch so by the time they arrived in the throne room of Hades, Percy was feeling great.

The lord of the dead sat on his throne of bones, glowering at them and stroking his black beard like he was contemplating the best way to torture the three demigods. Persephone sat next to him, not saying a word, as Nico explained about our adventure.

Before giving back the sword, Percy insisted that Hades take an oath not to use it against the gods. His eyes flared like he wanted to incinerate Percy, but finally he made the promise through clenched teeth.

Nico laid the sword at his father’s feet and bowed, waiting for a reaction.

Hades looked at his wife. “You defied my direct orders.”

Persephone didn’t react, even under his withering gaze.

Hades turned back to Nico. His gaze softened just a little, like rock soft rather than steel. “You will speak of this to no one.”

“Yes, lord,” Nico agreed.

The god glared at Percy. “And if your friends do not hold their tongues, I will cut them out.”

“You’re welcome,” Percy said.

Hades stared at the sword. His eyes were full of anger and something else—something like hunger. He snapped his fingers. The Furies fluttered down from the top of his throne.

“Return the blade to the forges,” he told them. “Stay with the smiths until it is finished, and then return it to me.”

The Furies swirled into the air with the weapon.

“You are wise, my lord,” Persephone said.

“If I were wise,” he growled, “I would lock you in your chambers. If you ever disobey me again—” He let the threat hang in the air. Then he snapped his fingers and vanished into darkness.

Persephone looked even paler than usual. She took a moment to smooth her dress, then turned toward the demigods. “You have done well, demigods.” She waved her hand and three red roses appeared at their feet. “Crush these, and they will return you to the world of the living. You have my lord’s thanks.”

“I could tell,” Thalia muttered.

“Making the sword was your idea,” Percy said. “That’s why Hades wasn’t there when you gave us the mission. Hades didn’t know the sword was missing. He didn’t even know it existed.”

“Nonsense,” the goddess said.

Nico clenched his fists. “Percy’s right. You wanted Hades to make a sword. He told you no. He knew it was too dangerous. The other gods would never trust him. It would undo the balance of power.”

“Then it got stolen,” Thalia said. “You shut down the Underworld, not Hades. You couldn’t tell him what had happened. And you needed us to get the sword back before Hades found out. You used us.”

Persephone moistened her lips. “The important thing is that Hades has now accepted the sword. He will have it finished, and my husband will become as powerful as Zeus or Poseidon. Our realm will be protected against Kronos… or any others who try to threaten us.”

“You should have made that decision together,” Percy told her. “I hope you take the blame when Zeus finds out. Goodbye.” He turned away from the goddess. He could hear her resisting the urge to smite him.

Nico and Thalia caught up to Percy on a balcony overlooking Asphodel. Bob the Titan sat inside, building a toy house out of bones and laughing every time it collapsed.

“He’s going to work in the palace for now,” Nico said.

Percy glanced at him. “Are you staying here?”

Nico shook his head. “No. I have to get back to Camp soon. I’ve already been away for a week.” He flushed. “Will’s probably going to kill me.”

“Nice knowing you,” Percy teased.

Thalia shook her head. “You guys still up for dinner?”

Percy couldn’t help but smile. “After all that, you’re hungry?”

“Hey,” she said, “even immortals have to eat. I’m thinking cheeseburgers at McHale’s.”

“I think McDonalds is more Nico’s type,” Percy said.

Nico rolled his eyes. “Oh my gods. McHale’s is fine.”

Percy laughed and then together, they crushed the roses that would return them to the mortal world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Rachel very likely could be in a different English class than Percy, but it always bothered me when she wasn't mentioned in Sword of Hades, so I added her in here this time.
> 
> And Nico in that New Orleans graveyard? He was with Anubis. CHANGE MY MIND!
> 
> All that aside... that's the story. Not much changed, but like Percy says in Last Olympian, if Thalia wasn't there, he and Nico could have just gone straight to Melinoe's cave. But that wouldn't have been much of a story!


	3. Alex Fierro and the Party Ponies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone left a Party Ponies' paint gun out in the open. Is it really Alex's fault if she picked it up? Could you really blame Alex if somehow Camp Half-Blood woke up to a paint covered cabin? Seriously, can you really blame him if it got out of control?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after The Last Olympian

IF ANYONE WAS TO BLAME FOR THE INCIDENT, it wasn’t Alex.

Okay, so maybe it was partially her fault, but  _ only _ partially. After all, who just leaves a perfectly good item of mischief laying out in the open in a camp full of teenage demigods with ADHD? Exactly. No one in their right mind would leave something like that out for anyone to find if they didn’t want someone picking it up.

So was it  _ really _ her fault if the situation got completely out of hand?

* * *

“What the Hel are you doing?”

Alex jumped and turned around with a glare on her face. “Sweet Frigg, Magnus. Why are you sneaking up on me?”

At the moment, Alex was peeking out from behind a tree on the edges of the woods. She wasn’t really expecting anyone to be behind her.

Magnus gave Alex an unimpressed look. “Why are you lurking in the shadows?”

“I’m not lurking in the shadows. Why are  _ you _ lurking in the shadows?”

“First of all, you have that look,” Magnus said.

Alex made a face. “What’s that supposed to mean? What look?”

“The look you get before you do something that probably will end in someone’s death,” Magnus said. “You had that same look when you decapitated me the first time and honestly, all the other times after that.”

Alex sighed and pressed a finger to Magnus’s lips. “Shut up.”

Magnus turned bright red. “Shutting up.”

“Look at that,” Alex said, pointing to the area of Camp Half-Blood where a few of the more injured Party Ponies had camped out until they had recovered from the Battle of Manhattan.

Magnus followed her gesture. “Um, it’s the Party Ponies camp?”

“Duh, but look closer.”

Magnus squinted. “I don’t know what you’re trying to get at, but—” he broke off and looked at Alex with wide eyes. “Please tell me you are not planning to do what I think you’re planning to do.”

“What do you think I’m planning to do?” Alex frowned.

Magnus gestured wildly. “You’re going to steal one of their paint guns! Alex, that will only end in disaster.”

“I know,” Alex grinned. “It’s going to be amazing.”

“Please, Alex, I’m begging you not to do this.”

“You’re being a real buzzkill, Magpie. You’re acting like someone’s actually going to die because of this. We just finished a war, right? We need a few laughs.”

Magnus shook his head frantically. “Not like that!”

Alex gave Magnus a bright smile. “Don’t worry. You’ll love it. I promise.” She shifted into a tiny bird and flew up into the trees.

Magnus’s muttered “I don’t think I will, actually” barely reached her ears.

* * *

Honestly, Alex was kind of surprised that the Stoll Brothers hadn’t beaten her to the idea. Not that she was complaining. Alex really wanted the paint gun. Especially since from what she could see during her reconnaissance, the paint for that particular gun was a bright neon pink. She hadn’t managed to locate a neon green one yet, but using those two colors together would probably create suspicion around her and only her.

Which meant that Alex would have to make do with only one of her favorite colors. And since the easy steal was pink, pink would be the color to work with.

Magnus hadn’t said a word all day about what Alex was planning, and Alex couldn’t figure out if that was because the son of Frey was hoping for this to blow up in Alex’s face or he was hoping to see the aftermath of Alex’s stunt. Or perhaps he feared losing his head again.

Not that Alex would do that outside the safety of Valhalla.

Just before dinner, the Party Ponies campsite was empty and that’s when Alex made her move. She swooped down as a hawk and swiftly grasped the paint gun in her talons before flying back up to her high treetop perch to stash the paint gun. No one other than her would be able to reach the spot.

After hiding it, Alex flew down to the ground and shifted back to human. She checked her clothes for any leftover feathers and then hurried to the dining pavilion just in time for dinner.

“You’re late,” Magnus said pointedly when Alex sat down next to him at the Hermes table.

Allegra Nakamura glanced up from her plate. “Alex isn’t that late, Magnus.” She put down her fork and looked between the two of them. “Are you having a fight or something?”

“Or something,” Magnus muttered.

“Seriously?” Allegra gapped. “Didn’t you  _ just _ get together? How are you already fighting?”

“We aren’t fighting,” Magnus and Alex said together.

“Small disagreement on today’s plans,” Alex supplied.

Nico di Angelo snorted. “Should I be impressed by your restraint in not decapitating Magnus?”

“Actually, yes,” Alex said. She gave Magnus a look. “You really shouldn’t try to sneak up on garrote wielding people.”

“Trust me,” Magnus said, rolling his eyes. “I know. Where’s Ethan, Allegra?”

Allegra pointed to the Athena table. “Annabeth’s interrogating him about his cabin design. She hasn’t cornered Butch or I yet though. Isn’t that right, Butch?” she called down the Hermes table.

“Huh?” Butch said, giving Allegra an odd look.

“Annabeth hasn’t got to us yet about mom’s cabin.”

Butch eyed the Athena head counselor warily. “Not yet. We’re going into it together though.”

Allegra nodded. “Our cabin is going to be perfect! I don’t want to overdo the rainbows, but I was thinking about these prism lights that light up different colors.”

“You’ve been talking about this then,” Magnus said.

Butch scooted down the bench to sit closer. “Yeah. We were thinking white or light gray interior with a lot of different colored art and furniture. Kinda goes with the rainbow theme, you know? White light goes through the prism and a whole rainbow comes out.”

Alex whistled. “Sweet. My recommendations are green and pink.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

“What’s your recommendation? Black?”

“Um, no? I don’t want them copying my cabin.”

Allegra looked at Nico. “You got Annabethed already?”

Nico gave her a blank look. “I gave her all my requirements and ideas yesterday.”

“What did you tell her?”

Nico hesitated slightly, probably because Annabeth already knew what the Hades Cabin would look like and Nico probably only told her about any improvements he wanted.

“Well, it’s black bricks,” Nico started. “And black walls. Dark wood beds. Fiery torches. I might add some bones.”

Allegra looked disappointed. “No color?”

“No color,” Nico said firmly. “Well, except for some gems.”

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

“Hades is also the god of the riches of the earth,” Nico said like it was obvious. “So I was thinking about including precious metals. Diamonds, rubies, gold, that sort of thing.”

“If you’re planning on robbing a jewelry store, I’ll go with you,” Alex informed him.

Nico gave her a scandalized look. “I’m not robbing anyone!”

They settled down to hear Chiron make announcements. One of which was that the Party Ponies would be leaving in two days.

Alex frowned. “Aww. But we didn’t even get a chance to party.”

“Praise the Lord,” Magnus said.

“Praise the gods,” Allegra corrected. “So. When are you two getting claimed?”

Alex set her utensils down. “Does it matter?”

“The gods are supposed to claim all their kids,” Allegra said. “You and Magnus haven’t been claimed yet!”

“I don’t want to be claimed,” Alex said. “If I can stay in the Hermes cabin for the rest of my time here, I’d be happy.”

“But you aren’t a child of Hermes,” Allegra protested.

“I don’t  _ want _ to be claimed, Allegra,” Alex said flatly. “Drop it.”

There went her good mood after taking the pain gun.

* * *

The plan went into motion that night. Very early the next morning if you wanted to be technical.

Alex woke up before anyone else in the Hermes cabin. It was probably around four in the morning.

He— _ Yeah, _ Alex decided,  _ definitely a male day _ —quietly slipped out of his bed and out the door without waking anyone else up. A true feat considering he was currently bunking with the Hermes cabin who were probably some of the lightest sleepers in the whole Camp.

Alex wasn’t going to risk that luck continuing with the harpies. He immediately shifted into a hawk and flew up into the sky.

It was one of the best feelings to fly. Probably one of his favorite parts of being a shapeshifter. Alex allowed himself a moment to swoop through the dark sky and feel the wind rushing past before he finally perched up high in the tree where the paint gun was stashed.

_ Now which unassuming victim shall I aim for first? _ Alex mused.

The Hermes cabin would be ideal, but as soon as the first paintball hit the cabin, the rest of the Hermes kids would wake up and that would mean everyone would know Alex had done the deed.

No, it would have to be some other cabin. Some other cabin who had members that were frequently at odds with the Stoll brothers. A cabin like Demeter with Katie Gardner.

Alex grabbed the paint gun in his claws and glided down to the ground in front of the Demeter cabin.

“Sorry, Katie,” he whispered. “But we need some good laughs right now.”

He unleashed the paintballs.

* * *

In the daylight hours of morning, the rest of the campers woke up when a loud screech came from the Demeter cabin.

“STOLLS!” Katie yelled, barging into the Hermes cabin. “What the Hades did you do?”

“What the Hades, Katie,” Nico complained. “Don’t use my father’s name in vain.”

Katie blinked at the contradictoriness of that statement. It was almost like Magnus and his insistence on using the Christian God despite claiming to be atheist yet also a demigod, Alex noted.

Travis sat up and looked at Katie blearily. “It’s too early. Can we yell later?”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you stayed up late to  _ desecrate _ my cabin!” Katie shouted.

“Desecrate your cabin?” Connor repeated.

“You took a paint gun from the Party Ponies and you used it to vandalize the Demeter cabin,” Annabeth said, stepping in behind Katie. She looked at the Stolls disapprovingly. “Seriously, guys? We’re trying to work on the cabins for the minor gods right now. We don’t have time to clean or fix up the Olympian’s. So I’m putting  _ all _ of Hermes cabin on cleaning duty. You can start after breakfast and I expect that cabin to be clean by the end of the day.” She turned around and marched out, Katie following her after giving the Stolls one last glare.

“But that wasn’t us,” Travis said halfheartedly.

Alex figured that since he had been the one to actually shoot the paint gun and Annabeth’s punishment meant that he also had to participate in the clean up, it was fair.

Magnus frowned at Alex. “Really?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Magnus,” Alex said.

“The cabin? The paint? You’re telling me that  _ wasn’t _ you?”

“It’s rude to assume, Maggie.” Alex shot him a grin. “Clean up time!”

In the end, Alex refuted his statement about it being fair. Okay, so yeah, it was fair to make him clean the mess up because he had actually been the one to do it. But Annabeth said all of Hermes cabin had to clean up. Almost half the cabin blew it off.

Magnus ducked out halfway through the cleaning to go for his shift at the infirmary. Nico had completely blown it off. He  _ was _ working in the infirmary in the morning with Will, but according to the schedule, Nico’s afternoon was free. Yet he didn’t show up once.

Chris Rodriguez had to go teach a few sword fighting lessons. Whether he was actually doing lessons that day was a mystery to Alex. Chris hadn’t come back yet. Meanwhile, Annabeth had come by to pull Ethan away to talk about his cabin design.

Travis and Connor were unfortunately—for them—being supervised by Katie and couldn’t find a way to escape clean up duty.

“Thanks,” Connor mumbled to Alex after they were done cleaning the cabin. “For sticking around, you know?”

Alex shrugged. “Didn’t have anything better going on today.”

Allegra dried her hands on her camp t-shirt. “Please never pull anything like this until I’m out of your cabin and into my own,” she told the Stolls.

“We didn’t do it,” Travis sighed. “I swear on the Styx and everything. Connor and I didn’t steal a paint gun and use it on the Demeter cabin last night.”

Thunder boomed.

Allegra didn’t look convinced. “Hmm. Well, don’t do it again.”

“I bet it was Katie,” Connor mused. “Right? She does it to her own cabin and gets us in trouble.”

“I think you’re overthinking this,” Allegra said, looking panicked. “That doesn’t sound like Katie at all!”

“Allegra,” Travis said seriously. “Connor and I have known Katie for years. You don’t want to know what she’s capable of.”

“Yeah, she stoops to any level to prank us,” Connor agreed.

Alex found that observation flawed in  _ many _ ways. Allegra was right. Katie would never do that, but…

“So we should hit our own cabin is what you’re saying?” Alex said.

Travis pointed at Alex. “Good idea. But we have to, like, get really smart about it. We need to be able to pin the blame on Katie.”

“Leave that to me,” Alex smirked.

* * *

“I was talking to Travis and Connor earlier,” Alex told Katie. “It wasn’t them. Everyone in the cabin’s a pretty light sleeper. If anyone was sneaking out, we’d know.”

Katie huffed. “No offense, Alex, but it’s pretty obvious it’s them. They just  _ love _ to antagonize me. Normally, I’d be okay with most of their crap, but right now… It’s not a good time.”

“That’s what I’m trying to say!” Alex nodded. “They both know that. You know they have boundaries. But I was thinking it was probably the Aphrodite cabin.”

“The Aphrodite cabin?” Katie repeated. “Why?”

“Drama,” Alex said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “They love that. And you  _ know _ half of them have been trying to get you and Travis together for  _ ages. _ Obviously they think enemies to lovers is the way to go.”

Katie gritted her teeth. “Of course they think that.” She crossed her arms. “Where’s Travis and Connor?”

“Cabin, why?”

“Because I’m going to need help getting back at Aphrodite cabin,” Katie said, marching off towards the Hermes cabin.

_ Gotta be flexible, _ Alex mused.  _ And now for phase four. _

* * *

At dinner, a high pitched scream echoed around the camp. Drew Tanaka marched into the dining pavilion with a furious look on her face.

“Who the Hades did this?” she screeched.

Silean glanced up at her. “Drew, what’s wrong?”

“Shut up,” Drew snapped. Her eyes darted around the pavilion. “Someone had a paint gun fight in my cabin!” She looked at the Stolls. “You did Demeter cabin last night! Was it you two? What’s the big idea?”

“Wasn’t us, honest,” Connor said earnestly.

“Swear it on the Styx and everything,” Travis added. “Connor and I didn’t have a paint gun fight in your cabin.”

“Who did then?” Silena asked, now paying attention. “Drew, how bad is it?”

“Blue, pink, green, yellow,” Drew sighed. “It’s, like, everywhere.”

Chiron cast a gaze over the campers. “Who is responsible for this?”

No one stepped forward.

Alex put on his poker face and gave Chiron a clueless look. He could see Magnus frowning at him out of the corner of his eyes.

“You did Aphrodite cabin too?” Magnus whispered.

“Honored you think it was me, but no,” Alex whispered back. “Someone else did it.”

Magnus sighed. “I think you’re being honest about that too.”

“PARTY ON!” a voice yelled.

Suddenly the whole dining pavilion exploded into chaos as the Party Ponies charged in, shooting paint guns. Alex grinned and pulled his own paint gun out from under the table.

“I love the Party Ponies!” he yelled.

Over at the Demeter table, Katie stood up alongside Miranda. They both had paint guns in hand, courtesy of Alex. They aimed the paint guns at the Hermes table. Alex—the only one who knew what the girls had planned—ducked behind the table like a soldier bunkering down in a ditch. Magnus yelped and fell backwards from the force of the paint gun. His chest was splattered with blue paint.

“Blue?” he complained. “Really?”

“What the Hades!” Nico shouted. He ducked under the table and disappeared to the Apollo table judging by Will Solace’s shout of, “NICO!”

“Heroes!” Chiron tried to shout above the noise of mass chaos. “Heroes, please—!” He cut off as a multitude of colors hit his face. The old centaur went down.

“This is totally awesome!” Alex cheered. “Wooooo!”

“You did this?” Allegra asked, breathing hard. “Seriously?”

Ethan ducked down besides them and gave Alex a glare. “I hate you so much right now.” His hair was splattered with blue and yellow paint.

Alex placed a hand over his heart and widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Ethan. Dude. I’m hurt.” He hefted his paint gun and cocked it like he was in an action movie. “Let’s roll.” He stood up and started firing off the paint pellets at unsuspecting campers.

Drew screeched as her white skirt was suddenly stained with color. Annabeth’s blonde hair looked dip dyed now. Katie and Miranda were covered in paint, but they were still firing away at the Hermes table. The Party Ponies were still rampaging through the dining pavilion, driving some of the campers to run away, though some Ponies chased after them.

Alex grinned and gave into the chase.

A shout came from some of the campers as paint gun pellets rained down from up high.

“Haha, suckers!” Michael Yew yelled. He and a few of his siblings were perched on top of the cabins and sniping at the campers running away.

“YEW!” Clarisse screamed. She wrestled a paint gun away from a Party Pony and unloaded it in Michael’s direction.

Alex figured the Apollo kids had the right idea. He transformed into an eagle, grabbed the paint gun in his talons, and flew up to the rooftop Michael was on and knocked him off to deal with Clarisse’s wrath.

“What the actual Hades, Fierro?” Michael screamed as Clarisse charged him.

“Sorry,” Alex called down, not really sorry at all. He took up Michael’s sniper position and started hitting targets.

The group of Aphrodite girls hiding on the side of their cabin.  _ Bang, bang, bang! _ Percy running for the lake—probably to get an advantage from the water.  _ Bang! _ The Ares kids busy trying to steal their own paint guns.  _ Bang, bang! _ The new kid Clovis who was fast asleep in the middle of the commons.  _ Bang! _ He didn’t even wake up.

Soon, the mass chaos turned into a warzone. Campers were forming alliances like it was capture the flag. Percy and Annabeth were leading the Athena, Dionysus, and Hermes kids. Katie and Miranda were heading up the Apollo kids and Nico. Clarisse was shouting orders at her siblings and the Hephaestus and Aphrodite kids.

“CAMPERS!”

Everyone froze.

Chiron trotted out of the dining pavilion looking angry beyond belief. His eyes swept over the crime scene. Cabins were splattered with a multitude of colors. Windows were shattered and colorful glass littered the insides of cabins and the ground below the windows. The Hephaestus cabin was smoking more than usual. Alex thought he might have seen a flicker of yellow from inside.

“What in the name of all the gods is going on?” Chiron demanded.

Magnus gave Alex a sour look, but didn’t say anything.

“It was Katie’s fault!” Travis blurted. “She did the Aphrodite cabin and then she started attacking us!”

Katie shot a look at Travis. “Excuse me? It was the Aphrodite cabin that did the paint job on  _ your _ cabin.”

“Why the Hades—”

“Hey!” Nico complained.

“—would the  _ Aphrodite cabin _ pick up a  _ paint gun, _ Katie?” Travis snapped.

“You tell me,” Katie shot back. “Alex said you three were talking about it and decided it was the Aphrodite kids.”

Travis didn’t say anything. He turned to look at Alex with an unreadable expression on his face.

“What?” Alex asked innocently.

Connor stared at Alex. “So,” he said. “You got the Demeter cabin last night, didn’t you?”

“And then you let  _ us _ get blamed for that,” Travis added.

“Causing Katie to blow up at us,” Connor added.

Travis frowned. “Then you told us it was probably Katie in the first place.”

“And then you told  _ me _ it was Aphrodite,” Katie spoke up, crossing her arms. “So Miranda and I would take a paint gun and go in that cabin.”

“YOU WHAT?” Drew screeched. She started to stalk towards Katie.

Silena grabbed Drew’s wrist. “Stand down.”

“To be fair,” Alex began sheepishly. “I helped clean up the cabin.”

Annabeth pinched her nose. “The camp is on fire. I mean, it’s literally on fire.” She pointed to the Hephaestus cabin which was now completely on fire. Next to it, the Hermes cabin was starting to smoke and the Apollo cabin was sparking.

Percy came charging in on a tidal wave. Water crashed down over the cabins, dousing the fires. A few campers squealed as the water washed over them. Alex got a face full of water.

“Thanks,” Alex said dryly.

Chiron raised an eyebrow at Alex. “You started this?”

“Oh come on!” Alex complained. “You guys should have known that introducing  _ me _ —me!—to the Party Ponies could only end one way.”

“My camp in flames?” Percy supplied.

“A crater blown in the middle of Long Island?” Magnus muttered.

“My ruined Coach purse?” Drew wailed, holding up what Alex was sure used to be a designer purse but was now torn, frayed, and paint splattered.

Nico rolled his eyes and mouthed,  _ Good shot, _ to Alex. He didn’t remember hitting Drew’s purse, but apparently Nico saw him hit the purse.

“The whole camp needing to use the showers even though we only have a few per cabin?” Allegra said. “Per usable cabin,” she amended.

“So maybe it got a little out of hand,” Alex allowed. “My fault. But seriously? Come on! I  _ told _ you during the Battle I wanted to get my hands on one of those. Remember? Nico, you were asking why Maggie and I flew off and I was volunteering to go with Annabeth to help the Party Ponies settle in.”

“Oh yeah,” Percy said distantly. “I remember that.”

Chiron gave them all disapproving looks. “Well, then I suppose you five can clean up the mess.”

“Oh no, Chiron, I’m supposed to be making arrangements for the new cabins,” Annabeth said.

“Yeah, and Hades cabin is next,” Nico said quickly.

Allegra frowned. “I thought you already finished that? You said you already gave Annabeth your plans.”

Nico gave her an icy glare.

“The  _ five _ of you,” Chiron said pointedly. “Will be cleaning this mess. Percy, perhaps you’ll start by removing the water from the cabins before we can have too much water damage? And would everyone _please_ return the paint guns to the Party Ponies?”

* * *

“Thanks, Alex,” Magnus muttered as they scrubbed the paint off the cabins.

“Yeah, thanks,” Percy scowled.

Nico was sitting on the ground with a permanent glare on his face.

“Are you going to  _ help _ us?” Annabeth asked.

“No,” Nico said irritably. A skeletal hand broke the surface of the ground. A skeleton crawled out to join the other two skeletons that were doing Nico’s job of scrubbing at the paint.

Alex tried to smile. “I said sorry.”

“You almost single handedly destroyed the camp over a paint gun,” Magnus said dryly. “I don’t think  _ Sorry _ is going to cut it.”

“It was fun while it lasted,” Alex shrugged.

There was no way in Hel he was giving that paint gun back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, finally, here's Alex Fierro and the Party Ponies. Sorry it took so long. I started writing this a while ago and only just finished it today.


End file.
